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The Baked dahi vadaLentil Dumplings in yoghurt & tamarind

Serves 6–8

Underneath a beautiful blanket of yoghurt, chutney, coriander (cilantro) leaves and pomegranate seeds, lie little sponge dumplings made of two types of lentils, baked, then soaked in water and squeezed, making them moist and ready to absorb all that goodness from the pool of creamy yoghurt poured over them. Traditionally, these dumplings are fried, but Pratibha auntie, my sister’s mother-in-law, from whom I get a lot of my healthy Indian inspiration, taught me this seemingly simple (albeit with a few steps!) but a genius recipe. These will last for a few days, so make a large plate or two and leave in the fridge to snack on. Gloriously colourful for dinner parties!

Oh, this uncertain life……..

I’ve always struggled with control. I think it became my mind’s coping mechanism after going through an emotionally troubled childhood. I used to have this incessant need of having to know every single detail of what’s going to happen in the day so that I get ready for it.

I was terrible at having to be spontaneous at things, I just couldn’t. If something came up that wasn’t planned for or wasn’t on the agenda, anxiety would take over and I wouldn’t know what to do with it.